Beyond the Wall
by Chaos Githzerai
Summary: It all began as a mission to locate a missing marksman, but when a sin'dorei huntress is captured by Pandaria's most enigmatic race, she soon learns that it was for a reason. Follows the Klaxxi/Dread Wastes storyline. Eventual mantid x blood elf.
1. Reave the Wind

_**Author's Note:**__ I know, I know, I should be working on Timeless, but I admit that I'm having trouble reconnecting with the characters, plus, this idea bit me hard, so I'm working on it in the meantime till I feel I can reconnect fully with the characters from Timeless again. I haven't given up on it completely, though, I do work on chapter thirteen, and it's been giving me loads of trouble, but it is slowly coming together. Factors off-net have also been a major reason for not working on Timeless as well, and I apologize.  
_

_I usually use Warcraft for writing exercises that I keep private, so this is the first actual fic I'll be writing, and my first time posting anything in the Warcraft section here on FFNet. This idea has been with me since October of last year, and I have a few chapters written already, but due to off-net issues, I was unable to publish this until now. I absolutely adore the Klaxxi, and they are my favorite faction in the game by a mile. I will do all I can to keep from butchering their personalities and characters and I will do my best to keep to their established lore; however, there will be instances where headcanon will come into play, so if you don't like that, then don't read. For the first few chapters, it will be heavily word-for-word dialogue, but as I get farther, I'll try to deviate away from it, save for when I need it._

_**Warning: This fic will contain massive spoilers for the Klaxxi/Dread Wastes storyline from Mists of Pandaria, if you haven't done the quests yet and hate spoilers, turn back NOW. Also, there will be mantid x blood elf in later chapters, so I've dropped an early warning since such unusual pairings tend to be rather squicky to a lot of readers. Again, there will be headcanon, so don't read if you don't like that.  
**_

_As always, (World of) Warcraft is © to Blizzard Entertainment while Shuurai Falconcrest belongs to me. Special thanks go out to my best friend, Ayaluki, the best beta-reader I could ever ask for.  
_

* * *

_Beyond the Wall_

_Chapter 1:  
Reave the Wind_

* * *

_"Perhaps, if you were to befriend the mantid, and earn a reputation among them, they would teach you their secrets. But I warn you: Nobody has ever befriended the mantid."_ - Lorewalker Cho

* * *

Shuurai Falconcrest held back a sigh of relief when she saw that Lann was still breathing when she'd knelt beside him to check his pulse. The bear-man's eyes snapped open, causing the huntress to draw back for a moment before she rose to her feet, her gaze never leaving Lann, even when... he started babbling.

"You won't believe what I saw!" The male pandaren was talking quickly as the blood elf started working on helping him free of the webbing, her brow furrowing as she listened to him. "Two mantid fighting _each other_, whipping some serious magic back and forth! One of them didn't look like any mantid I've ever seen. Completely different color and dress to him, like some kind of... oracle... or something."

"And the other?" Shuurai asked as she pulled a few more strands of thick webbing away from the marksman's right arm. "I've fought mantid a few times since I set foot here in Pandaria, but I've never heard of any cases of infighting."

"The other one was a total _psycho_," Lann said, grunting as he pulled his arm free. "He was splashing _sha_ energy around like it was a keg of Stormstout Special! When I'm out of this webbing, I'll have to go back to my post, but those two are still fighting in the cave behind me. I have a feeling it's a big deal, so could you check it out?"

"Of course," the woman said as she continued to work on helping the pandaren get free before she turned her head and whistled for the blue and copper quilen who had been keeping watch nearby. "You should be able to pull free now. Here, lean on Lacuna."

The beast of living stone chuffed softly as she padded closer, regarding both humanoids with inquisitive ruby eyes as she stopped in front of where the pandaren was still trapped, before turning to one side to allow him to drape his upper body across her broad back. Lann regarded her pet with a wary expression for a few moments at first, and Shuurai understood, since quilen bore resemblance to their original creators, the mogu.

"Don't worry, she won't bite unless I tell her to."

With help from the quilen, the marksman was pulled completely free, strands of webbing still sticking to his large form in places. He leant heavily against the stone creature for a moment before, with a grunt, he pulled himself to his feet, pausing to gently pat Lacuna on the side in a gesture of thanks for her aid.

"Thanks for the assist, friends," he said as he brushed the last of the webbing off of himself. "I'd better report back to Bowmistress Li."

Shuurai remained silent as she watched the pandaren turn and start back up the path, praying that he wouldn't end up getting himself stuck in another web again. Only when he was out of her line of sight did the elf finally turn her attention to the nearby cave he had mentioned.

"What we saw in Stoneplow was just the beginning," she said softly, reaching down to place a hand upon Lacuna's back when the quilen had nudged her hand with her nose. "But maybe we can finally get to the bottom of _why_ they're swarming too early. Let's go, Lacuna."

A pair of harsh voices reached Shuurai's ears, growing louder as she and her pet drew closer to the mouth of the cave, which was quite small. Two tall figures were at the back of it, both mantid, as Lann had said.

"This is a mistake," one said, before he was blasted back against the cave wall by the other, and Shuurai's eyes widened when she saw the unmistakable lack of color that marked sha energy. "The swarm should not- augh!"

"I carry out Her will!" the other mantid snapped, gesturing with his hands before he blasted his foe again, sha energy dancing around his clawed fingers. "We shall crumble the wall and devour the lands beyond!"

'_That reinforces what I witnessed back at Stoneplow when I was able to exorcise the sha out of those wing-commanders,_' she thought, a ghost of a smile flashing across her lips for a moment as she thought about Ken-Ken's silly mask. The thing had worked wonders, though, which showed that the hozen had been much smarter than he let on.

Shuurai pushed the memory to the back of her mind as she swiftly unshouldered her gun and took aim, bracing herself for the kickback before she squeezed the trigger, calling out a command to her pet as she did so.

"Lacuna, go! Kill the mantid who's manipulating sha energy, but spare the yellow one!"

'_For now, at least,_' she thought darkly as she focused on backing her quilen with gunfire from the cave's entrance.

The stone beast roared as she raced into the cave, unbothered by the sound of gunfire as her huntress covered her from the entrance, pausing for a few seconds to crouch and gathering energy into her legs, before the quilen sprang at the brownish mantid.

The blood elf heard the insectoid screech when the stone creature barreled into him from the side, the momentum behind her full weight aided by his complete lack of balance. The mantid crashed to the floor, curses in what Shuurai guessed to be his kind's language leaving him as he struggled, trying all he could to get the quilen off of him even as the beast struck him again and again with her large forepaws, followed by the sickening crunch of carapace being splintered when she bit into the mantid's right arm.

A flash of yellow-white flickered at the edge of Shuurai's vision, before the same light appeared around the corrupted mantid, the _Holy Smite _spell lancing through him like a knife before disappearing. He shuddered before falling still, thick green liquid oozing from his wounds to pool onto the stone floor beneath him.

Lacuna backed off, shaking her head and smacking her lips as she tried to rid herself of the taste before she turned her gaze towards the remaining mantid, who could barely stand, even though he was leaning heavily against the cave wall.

"The adjunct... you..."

Wordlessly, Shuurai aimed her rifle in his direction, her finger poised over the trigger as she slowly closed the distance a few steps, Lacuna moving in unison with her as the quilen took a few steps towards the wounded mantid from the opposite side.

"Hold... outsider..." The yellow insectoid spoke again, his voice barely working as he struggled to hold up a shaking hand, palm open and facing towards her. "We are... not your enemy..."

"I just want to know what the hell is going on," Shuurai replied irritably, closing the distance until she was but a foot away from him, before she slowly lowered her weapon. She heard her pet sneeze softly, the stone beast's way of saying, 'Are you _absolutely _surewe can trust this _thing_?'.

"You will... learn... in time..." the mantid replied, his breathing beginning to grow labored, and his entire form shook with the effort when he bent down to pick something up off of the cave floor by his feet, before he held it out to her. "Take... this..."

The blood elf hesitated, before she slowly reached out to take what he was struggling to give her, his legs giving out and causing him to crumple to the stone floor when he relinquished his grip.

As soon as she made contact with what he had given her, an image suddenly flashed within her mind's eye, the location being back at the terrace where she'd cleared out spiders and located the missing marksman; however, the exact location appeared to be more out of the way than the area she'd been through. She saw a large chunk of amber, the center dark - an indication of the form housed within.

Shuurai shook her head as the image vanished, her gaze falling onto the object the dying mantid had given to her. It was a tuning fork, the two long, thin prongs unmistakable. The handle was decorated with jewels, the largest of which wasn't a jewel at all, but a polished piece of amber.

"Awaken... the Wind-Reaver..." the mantid barely managed to choke out, causing her to look at him, large bluish-gray eyes meeting hers as he forced himself to speak. "It is the only way... to end the swarm..."

With those words, he took one final, labored breath, and grew still.

Frowning, the woman knelt beside him before she moved to close his eyes. He was the first mantid who hadn't tried to kill her, after all, so he deserved to be shown at least a bit of respect in his passing. She heard Lacuna whine softly, the quilen moving to lightly lean against her as she sniffed the air, her ruby gaze fastened upon the now dead insectoid.

"Come on," she said, moving to sling her rifle across her back before she reached down to gently pat her quilen between the ears. "Let's go free this 'Wind-Reaver'."

It took them a while to reach the location that Shuurai had seen in the vision the mantid had shown her, thanks to the spiders that tried to slow them down. When the huge chunk of amber came into view, the sin'dorei stopped her advance, taking a few moments to study it before, with a deep sigh, she unshouldered her pack and opened it before removing the tuning fork she had been given.

The hunter crouched there silently for a moment, just staring at the fork she held balanced in the palm of her hand and wondering just how the hell she'd gotten herself into this mess, before closing her pack and moving to shoulder it again, a soft chuff of questioning from Lacuna reaching her ears.

"I'm okay, don't worry," she said, giving the maned creature a reassuring pat on the top of the head before she moved to stand, clutching the tuning fork tightly within one hand as she returned her attention to the amber. Another deep sigh was given as the huntress steeled herself and approached, halting only when she was standing before it, her attention remaining upon the amber even when she heard her pet pad up to stand beside her.

Wordlessly, she pulled the hand that held the tuning fork back, bracing herself before she struck the large hunk of amber. A low hum rang through the air when the fork made contact, and after a few seconds, the amber shattered, revealing the mantid who'd been housed within.

He was large, though since he was currently doubled-over, Shuurai was unable to tell just exactly _how_ big he was, but she knew that once he rose to his full height, he would tower over her. Like the mantid she'd spoken with back in the cave, this one was a rich shade of yellow which darkened to a more amber hue upon his lower arms, forelegs, and legs. A pattern of burnt amber stripes marked his carapace in places, mostly upon his forelegs, but a few more faded stripes also marked his lower arms and his legs close to his clawed feet.

A pair of swords were strapped to his back, currently sheathed, and the mantid was clad in a few pieces of armor, consisting of a pair of shoulder protectors, a breastplate, and what looked like either a helm or mask, but with him still bent over, Shuurai couldn't really tell which it was.

'_I just hope I don't end up regretting this,_' she thought, when the mantid slowly raised his head to look at her.

* * *

His slumber was silent and dreamless, until he felt something brush his mind, bringing the beginnings of consciousness along with it. It was a low hum, harmonious, beautiful, and accompanied by familiar whispers, faint at first before rising in volume, until the sounds flowed through every inch of his form.

And just as suddenly as they had begun, the hum and whispers both dimmed and faded as he heard his prison of amber shatter, the harsh sound raking through his mind like the tip of a blade against stone. He felt a cool breeze brush against his carapace as, for the first time in eons, he took a breath and moved to rise to his full height - only for him to suddenly double over and vomit, the stuff pooling at his feet. The Wind-Reaver coughed a few times, mandibles flexing as he focused on drawing precious oxygen into his lungs.

"I have... returned... The Klaxxi... call to me." His voice came out as a harsh rasp from a long period of disuse, and the mantid slowly raised his head to look upon the one who had Awakened him.

The diminutive creature standing a few feet away was certainly _not_ a mantid, nor was it a mogu, a pandaren, or even a saurok.

This new presence... was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

It stood upon two legs, and from what he could tell, had only one pair of arms. Most of its pale skin was hidden behind black and red armor - a false carapace to protect its soft, weak form. It was slender in build, like a kypari sapling, and it stood staring at him with verdant eyes which held a soft, luminescent glow. A pair of long, pointed ears framed both sides of its head, surrounded by what he knew was called 'hair', which was a vivid shade of red, the color of freshly spilled blood. It was long, pulled back and gathered into a single braid, which was draped over one of the creature's tiny shoulders. What garnered the most attention, however, were the dark red markings that adorned the humanoid's face, and from what he could see that wasn't hidden by armor, they also adorned its arms.

A low growl drew his attention to the four-legged beast that stood close to the creature, watching him with pupil-less, ruby eyes. It was stocky in build, the majority of its stone body a shade of dark blue like a sapphire, while its curly mane and the adornments above its forepaws were coppery in hue along with its claws, upon its face above its eyes, and what appeared to be some kind of band across its broad chest.

Instantly, the Wind-Reaver felt a sense of revulsion as he eyed the quilen, but since it wasn't making any move to attack, he came to realize that it was the humanoid's pet, and this was proven true when it moved to set a tiny hand upon the stone beast's back, the contact causing the quilen to relax, though only slightly, its crimson gaze still focused intently upon him.

'_It appears things have changed since I was first encased,_' he thought to himself. '_During my lifetime, those creatures _only_ answered to the mogu._'

"I was told that you are the key to ending the swarm," the creature said, snapping the mantid from his thoughts. It was holding up what he recognized to be a tuning fork before it crossed its arms over its chest. "But you don't look like you'd last even a minute."

From the pitch of its voice, he realized that this tiny creature was female, said realization aided by a clue from some distant memory that surfaced to the front of his mind before once again vanishing back into obscurity. The female's tone was harsh, accented by a hint of wariness as she continued to watch him, and even in his current state of weakness brought on by the Wakening sickness, her tone was as threatening to him as the buzzing of a sapfly.

"You will forgive my current state," he said curtly, his gaze never leaving the pair. "I have slept for many years. A Klaxxi'va should have been here to attend my Wakening with kypari sap."

"This fork was given to me by a mantid after I helped him," she explained, gesturing to the metal device with her free hand when she'd uncrossed her arms for a few moments before allowing them to fall to her sides, her free hand resting upon her hip in a gesture he found _quite_ annoying. "He was fighting another mantid, whom he referred to as an 'adjunct' or something like that, and I helped slay that one, but I was too late to save the first one... His wounds proved fatal."

"Then you will have to do," he replied, forcing the words out after he'd managed to make heads and tails out of her rather garbled explanation. The very _idea_ of turning to a member of a lesser race for aid was _disgusting_! But what other choice did he have? He would die here if he didn't receive nourishment soon. A familiar sound reached his hidden ears, faint due to the fact that it was far off from his current position, but it caused him to raise his head a little, his movements slow in order to keep himself from becoming dizzy from lack of energy.

"I sense the buzzing of sapflies to the south," he said finally, not bothering to look at the creature even though he was addressing her. "They gorge on the nourishing sap I need. Bring them to me."

"Why should I?" the humanoid said before she tossed the fork to the ground, the object sliding to a stop before him. The Wind-Reaver narrowed his eyes as he stared down at the tuning fork. Had he been in better health, he would've slain her on the spot for such an act of defiance. "You're in no position to demand anything of me, _mantid_."

"Because, _creature_," he snapped, eyes narrowed to mere slits behind the eyeshields of his mask as he glared at her, "if you truly wish to stop the swarm, then you _will_ do as I say."

* * *

'_Ugh!_' Shuurai continued to glare at him, a snarl leaving Lacuna as the quilen moved to take a step towards the mantid, head lowered and shoulders squared. This 'Wind-Reaver' was proving to be a right pain in the ass, demanding things from her and reminding her of more than a few fellow noblemen she'd been forced to go to school with back during her childhood, and she hadn't even known him for five minutes!

"Lacuna, stay," she commanded, moving to set a hand upon the quilen's shoulder. The stone creature sniffed and relaxed, though a barely audible growl reverberated through her stocky form as she kept her attention trained upon the insectoid.

The woman grit her teeth, knowing that he _did_ have a point; plus, she'd rather _not_ have to live with an unneeded death if this mantid ended up dying because of them being at each other's throats like this. She'd forced herself to cooperate with _far_ worse company than a mantid, after all. If he was the key to stopping the swarm, then she would, as much as she despised the idea of it, have to obey him.

"Fine, I'll get these sapflies for you, but I warn you: I don't _care_ if you're so instrumental in stopping this goddamned swarm; if you make _one_ threatening move towards me, I _won't_ hesitate to blast a hole through your carapace."

All he gave in response to her threat was something that sounded on the lines of a raspy chuckle, such a dismissive reaction causing her anger to spike. Grumbling obscenities under her breath in Thalassian, Shuurai shot the Wind-Reaver a dirty look over her shoulder as she silently gestured for Lacuna to follow her.

"**Outsider,**" she felt his mind brush against hers even as she walked away from him, and she clenched her fists at her sides as he continued to speak into her mind. "**I may not know anything about you, but I **_**do**_** know a bluff when I hear one. I have slain countless numbers of mogu during my lifetime, so I do **_**not**_** fear you.**"

"Shut up!" she snarled out loud, even when she no longer felt his presence within her mind. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Lacuna give her a quizzical look, and the elf raised her hand in a dismissive gesture, silently telling the quilen that it wasn't anything important and that she wasn't losing her mind.

The sapflies were easy to kill, though many of them put up a fight. Having studied bugs and insects extensively over the course of her lifetime, Shuurai knew exactly which parts of the flies would have the most sap stored within them, and these she set aside before bundling them within a large piece of windwool cloth.

"I think that's plenty," she said as she moved to stand, taking a moment to stretch before she crouched down to pick up the bundle. "We must've killed around a hundred of these, yeah? Let's go back before he decides to chide me about being late or something."

Her quilen moved to fall into step beside her as huntress and pet made their way back to where the Wind-Reaver was waiting for them.

* * *

The shriek of rage came to him, carried upon the soft breeze that kept him from lapsing into unconsciousness.

'_I remember that cry,_' he thought to himself, warily raising his head as he slowly scanned his surroundings. '_So, the spirits of the Gurthani mogu I slew so long ago are seeking vengeance. Hurry, outsider, I do not have the strength to fend them off should they find me._'

The shriek came again, much closer now, and a shadow fell across the mantid from his right side, and he turned his head to meet the glower of a Gurthani spirit as the undead raised a ragged, clawed hand to strike him. The Wind-Reaver narrowed his eyes in a show of defiance, only to blink in surprise when the spirit jerked back violently, a loud sound like a clap of thunder piercing the air, followed by the roar of a quilen.

"**Took you long enough,**" he snapped into her mind, even as she ordered her pet to guard him. "**A second later and it would have ended me.**"

The spirit quickly fell to the combined assault from the hunter and her pet, and the beast moved off a small distance at the creature's given command, falling still as it stood near one of the crumbling walls, the only thing giving away that the blue and copper quilen wasn't a statue being the slight rise and fall of its sides as it breathed.

"Well, excuse me for having to defend myself from the spiders so I could bring these back to you," the tiny female growled, verdant eyes burning into his as she approached and held out a bundle to him, the scent of kypari sap strong.

Wordlessly, he snatched the bundle from her before he tore it open and wasted no time in feeding. She'd known which parts of the flies to bring to him, at least, and he decided that she wasn't completely useless after all. She was a pain, but he had a feeling that nothing would be changing _that_ about her anytime soon. Still, she _had_ been able to Awaken him even though she wasn't one of the Klaxxi, or even a mantid, and that was something he found quite unusual.

The Klaxxi'va had to know of this at once.

Once he had eaten his fill, he waited a few moments before he slowly rose to his full height, allowing the cloth to drift to the stone floor beside him as he moved to stretch, being careful to avoid stepping into the pool of vomit that was still there at his feet.

The outsider had moved off a few feet, and was standing with her back to him, her weapon still drawn as she helped her pet keep watch for any more spirits. The Wind-Reaver felt a small inkling of appreciation for her action; however, he quickly quashed the feeling, knowing that the creature more than likely would _not_ come with him willingly.

Which left capture as his only option.

Remaining silent, the mantid slowly advanced, reaching back for one of the pair of swords that had been encased with him, keeping his movements slow as he carefully slid the blade from its sheath upon his back. When he was close enough, he lunged, knocking the tiny creature's weapon from her grasp before he grabbed her, using his larger size and strength to subdue her as he pressed the edge of his blade against her throat.

"Bastard," she hissed, tensing as he held her tightly. "I should have known you would do this!"

"I am not going to kill you," he rasped into one of her long ears. "I must report to the Klaxxi, and you will be accompanying me, whether you wish to or not."

"Not if Lacuna tears you apart first..."

The Wind-Reaver's mandibles flexed once at her choice of words, and he turned his head towards where he had last seen the stone beast, only to find himself staring down into a pair of narrowed ruby eyes as the quilen glowered up at him from where it stood crouched a few feet away, a low, throaty growl leaving it.

"I hold her life in my hands, quilen," he warned. "You would be wise to back down, lest you wish to bring _her_ harm as well."

A snarl left the beast as it continued to glower at him, but he ignored it and turned his attention to where her weapon lay.

Keeping his blade against the creature's throat, the mantid moved to retrieve the firearm. He studied it for a moment before he slung the strap over one of his forelegs, knowing that to allow her to have it back would more than likely lead to a fight. Not that he wished to avoid it, but if this female was able to Awaken him, she would probably be able to Awaken his fellow Paragons as well.

Slowly, he moved his blade away from her throat before he stepped away, keeping his weapon drawn and at the ready before he pointed to the fork she'd thrown at him earlier.

"That is yours now, _Wakener_. Retrieve it."

"Why." It was more of a demand than a question, and the tiny humanoid remained where she was, glaring up at him.

"Why I did not slay you?" he asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, a gesture silently voicing his rising impatience. "Because you may prove useful to our cause, outsider."

"If you want to address me, then use my name," she growled, still not moving from where she stood. "It's _Shuurai Falconcrest_ to you, mantid,_ not _'Wakener' or 'outsider'."

"I have no reason to use your name since I do not have reason to respect you," he replied, clicking his mandibles at her a few times in an admonishing gesture. She narrowed her eyes at him, tiny hands clenching into fists at her sides. "Now. Retrieve. The. Fork."

The Wind-Reaver heard her mutter something under her breath, the language completely foreign to him. He would've smirked if he'd possessed the proper mouthparts, having a feeling that what she'd said were curses in her native tongue. He kept his full attention upon her as she finally listened, moving to retrieve the tuning fork, and when the Wind-Reaver moved to subdue her again, he grunted when he felt something suddenly slam into him from the side, a curse leaving him through clenched mouthparts when he felt a set of teeth clamp down upon his right arm, the sudden strike nearly causing him to drop his weapon.

"Stupid beast!" he snarled, grabbing the blue and copper quilen with his free hand and using every ounce of his strength to dislodge it, before, with a grunt, he shoved it away. Wasting no time, he lashed out, striking the stone beast upside the head with the hilt of his sword when it tried to lunge for him again, a cry of pain leaving it as it crumpled to the ground and lay still, making no move to rise.

"LACUNA!"

Fast as lightning, he reached out, catching the creature when she'd started to go to her pet. She struggled against him this time, until he raised his blade to touch the tip of it to her throat.

"You monster," she hissed, her entire form shaking as she glowered up at him, and he could sense the waves of anger and hatred rolling off of her, knowing that they were completely directed at him. "How could you-"

"Quiet," he growled, pressing the tip of his weapon against her throat a little more, but not to the point where it would pierce into her soft skin. "Your pet will live; I made certain to hold back when I struck it, so it is only stunned. Now, will you stop trying to fight me? Or..."

The Wind-Reaver withdrew his blade and released the tiny creature, making sure to keep himself between her and her pet before he moved to set a clawed foot upon the still unconscious quilen's side.

"Leave her alone!"

"I could kill it, outsider," he growled, turning his head to glare at her. "And I _will_ if you continue to resist."

She stood there glowering up at him, but the Paragon noticed that her hands were trembling. Not breaking her gaze, he removed his foot from its side, only to move to set it upon the stone beast's neck, and he was about to deliver the killing blow when the outsider cried out.

"No! Don't! I... I'll go with you, but, _please_, leave her alone."

The insectoid continued to glare at her, turning her words over in his mind for a few long moments before, with an exasperated snort, he moved to step away from the unconscious quilen. A jolt of pain reminded him that he was wounded, and he stared down at the bite wound with narrowed eyes, noting that the quilen had bitten hard enough to fracture his carapace in a few places, a bit of green blood oozing from the wound, before he slowly moved his gaze to rest it upon the beast's master.

He saw her step back when he closed the distance between them, and he raised his arm to show her just what her damn pet had done.

"Tend to this," he snapped, moving to grasp her hard by the shoulders, and he blinked when he noticed her give no reaction to being handled so roughly, the surprise nearly causing him to falter before he spoke again. "_Your_ pet, _your _responsibility."

"... Fine, I'll do as you say, but _only_ if you come back for her."

He narrowed his eyes, mandibles flexing a few times as he glared at her before he slowly turned his head towards where the quilen still lay upon its side.

"... It shall be done," he said, meeting her gaze again, noticing the change in her expression when he had reluctantly agreed. "Now, do as you are told, and I shall keep my end of the bargain."

He saw the creature open her mouth, more than likely to give a retort, before she stopped herself, and he felt an inkling of amusement when he heard her give vent to a sigh of anger, her luminous eyes burning into his as she took a few steps back and moved to kneel.

He watched her unshoulder the large bundle she wore, remaining silent as she opened it and dug around inside before producing what he recognized as windwool cloth, except that it had been cut into strips and rolled into a neat bundle. Alongside that, she'd pulled out a small vial of some clear substance he didn't recognize, the odd scent causing him to slick his antennae back in irritation.

Another sigh left the creature before she shook her head, and he heard her mutter to herself in her native tongue as she unrolled a sizeable piece of windwool from the bundle and moved to spread some of the clear substance onto some of it. Holding the cloth, she moved to stand before she turned to face him.

"What did you do to the cloth, outsider?"

"It's not poison. Had I wanted to kill you, I would have done so while you were still weak," she replied, rolling her eyes skyward, and the insectoid had to fight down the urge to strike her with his uninjured arm for such an action. "It's healing salve made from medical herbs. I guess your kind use something different since you apparently don't know what it is."

"We use amber to heal ourselves," he hissed, hesitating for a few long moments before he finally held his arm out, mouthparts clenching when he felt her press the cloth against the bite, the substance stinging a bit on contact with the wound. If what she said was true, then it was a crude substitute for the amber he was used to, but it would have to do.

He saw her steal a glance over at where her unconscious pet still lay, a stony expression upon her face as she silently began to dress his wound, tying the ends of the cloth together to keep the bandage in place before she stepped back, taking a moment to inspect her handiwork before she turned and went to retrieve her belongings.

"That should take about a day to heal with help from the salve," she said, shouldering her bundle before she rose and turned to face him. "And save your breath. After what you did, a thank you from your mandibles will fall upon deaf ears."

"I did not plan on wasting such words upon _you_, outsider," he retorted, moving to sheath his blade before he closed the distance between them and moved to toss her onto his back. He wasted no time as he leapt into the air, ignoring the cry of surprise from his passenger, feeling her tightly grasping at one of his arms as she tried to steady herself. "But you_ have _earned the right to know who I am.

"I am Kil'ruk, a warrior from an era long passed. In my time, this was a mogu stronghold. It was my honor to paint the walls with their blood. For my deeds, I was named a Paragon: a hero to be preserved in amber for a time when the empire would need... correcting."

He fell silent, taking a few moments to take in his surroundings as he flew on, but something was wrong... Some parts of the landscape appeared to have had the _color_ drained from them.

"I've also slain many mogu," the creature, 'Shuurai Falconcrest' as she had called herself, spoke, though he could sense the hesitation in her voice in spite of its dark tone. "But my reasons are far different than your own."

"Then it is not of my concern; however, it seems that we have a common enemy in the mogu," he replied. "And perhaps others as well. We shall see... Tell me, Wakener, what power is this that burns our land and corrupts our trees?"

"It's called 'sha'. I've seen it do horrible things to whatever it touches, some far worse than this. I've even seen it possess people like a ghost."

'_Sha..._' he thought, repeating the word in his mind. He opened his mouthparts to reply, only to cry out in shock as he caught sight of a familiar building.

"The palace!"

Though most of the amber-glow braziers retained their color, the left one at the base of the wide set of stairs which led up to the huge building had been drained of its color, and most of the amber-made windows were now tarnished by the same lack of color as well.

"That must have been so beautiful once."

"This is... not our way," he murmured, mostly to himself as he ignored her comment. "I see why the Klaxxi have been forced to act."

"You keep mentioning these 'Klaxxi'. Who are they?"

"They are a council of our wisest cultural elders," he explained, his attention never leaving the palace until he'd finally flown past it. "They serve to check the power of the Empress. Should the Empress ever fall to corruption or endanger our civilization, the Klaxxi are sworn to unseat her."

"So, what's your role in this if your 'Klaxxi' are so powerful?"

"There are others like me," he continued, though having to explain so much got on his nerves. Still, she needed to know, especially since now, she had become part of their problem. "Paragons of each era, frozen in time and buried safely beyond the whispers of the Empress. We answer _only_ to the council. And we rest only when their will is done..."

He trailed off for a moment as a familiar group of buildings, surrounding a courtyard, came into view, and Kil'ruk adjusted his wings, banking a little as he focused on Klaxxi'vess, not caring when he felt the outsider tense from where she was crouched upon his back.

"Your path has been lain out before you, Wakener," Kil'ruk warned as they began their decent towards the cluster of buildings below. "And no matter how much you yearn for it, there is _no_ turning back."


	2. The Klaxxi

_**Author's Note:**__ First off, thank you to the two of you who reviewed, it means a lot to me! I apologize for taking so long getting this chapter out, but I told myself that I wouldn't post this chapter until I had chapter three finished, and that ended up taking longer than I thought, and for that, I apologize and hope that this isn't a waste of time for you guys._

_As always, (World of) Warcraft is © to Blizzard Entertainment while Shuurai Falconcrest belongs to me. Special thanks go out to my best friend, Ayaluki, the best beta-reader I could ever ask for._

* * *

_Chapter 2:_  
_The Klaxxi_

* * *

_"The Klaxxi are only rumored to exist, far beyond the wall in the Dread Wastes. Few have ventured into that territory, and none have returned to tell the tale."_ - Bowmaster Ku

* * *

Even as the Wind-Reaver made his descent, Shuurai remained silent, unable to help the feeling of uncertainty that washed over her at that moment when she swept her gaze over the small group of mantids who stood in a circle around a tall column. Said column was tipped by a chunk of amber, diamondine in shape and similar to the much smaller ones she'd helped the Shado-Pan procure back in Townlong Steppes before she helped them destroy the Sha of Hatred.

When Kil'ruk landed, the blood elf felt her heart rate speed up dramatically, since the mantid had chosen to land _in the middle_ of the circle of his fellows - who had all appeared to be smaller from the air. Now, however, seeing them towering over her, all of them making Kil'ruk look tiny in comparison, Shuurai felt very, _very_ small.

She hadn't been aware of when the Wind-Reaver had set her down next to him, until she heard his voice within her mind, his tone as curt as ever.

"**This is a sacred meeting place for the Klaxxi,**" he warned. "**It would be wise of you to let me do the talking.**"

'_Trust me, I _wasn't_ planning on speaking,_' she thought, trying her hardest to send it his way, unsure if he'd received it or not. '_You guys probably wouldn't react well to a simple 'hello', anyway._'

"Wind-Reaver," one of the huge mantids was now speaking, and Shuurai forced herself to keep her gaze upon the floor of the courtyard as she listened. "You have awakened. What of Klaxxi'va Tik?"

'_Tik... so, that was his name,_' she thought angrily. '_Damn him for getting me caught up in this mess! I didn't want this!_'

"And what is this _filth_ you've brought to our sanctuary?" another snapped, and the sin'dorei was suddenly aware of many pairs of eyes upon her.

"The Klaxxi'va you sent has fallen to an adjunct of Her Majesty," Kil'ruk replied, and Shuurai flinched when she felt him grasp her by the shoulder. "This... "filth" defeated the adjunct and saw to my Wakening."

"We do not need help from lesser races!" that same mantid snapped, his tone filled with disgust, and the next thing he said made Shuurai's blood run cold. "Dispose of it!"

"Right away, Klaxxi'va," Kil'ruk murmured, and the ring of amber-tipped metal came to Shuurai's ears as she heard him draw one of his blades, his grip upon her shoulder tightening. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the killing strike.

"No." She slowly opened one eye, followed by the other when the first mantid spoke. "The Wakener may prove useful. One way or another."

"As fodder for the swarm, perhaps!" that one mantid added, a mocking tone to his voice. "Cage it for now, it grows late. Put it to work at dawn's first light tomorrow."

'_I'm right here!_' she thought angrily, offended that the mantid were now talking about her as if she weren't present at that moment. She took a slow, deep breath, holding it in for a moment before she slowly exhaled, but even that wasn't enough to calm her.

"Come," Kil'ruk commanded, his hold on her shoulder never relenting even as he turned away, only to halt when one of the mantid Elders spoke again.

"Since you brought it here, _you_ will take_ full _responsibility for it, Wind-Reaver."

Shuurai had to fight the urge to grit her teeth at the thought of being stuck with _him_, and judging by the low growl Kil'ruk voiced, it didn't sound like he was too thrilled by the idea, either.

"... Yes, Klaxxi'va."

The blood elf stumbled, nearly losing her balance completely when the Wind-Reaver roughly shoved her, a silent order for her to get moving. She shot him a glare, which he ignored, and she pursed her lips when he led her to a corner of the area where a few small structures stood, made mostly of amber and another material that was dark in color, more than likely trillium. Having seen these same structures before in Townlong Steppes, Shuurai instantly recognized them as cages.

'_So I _am_ a prisoner,_' she realized, her eyes closing for a second as she held back a sigh. '_At least they're treating me better than those damned mogu ever did... so far, anyway._'

An armed guard moved to open one, rather rudely snatching her pack from her before gesturing for her to step inside. She glared at him, but knew she had no choice in the matter, really, especially not with Kil'ruk still in possession of her gun and Lacuna missing. Shuurai bit her lower lip as she thought about her quilen, hoping that the Wind-Reaver had been truthful when he told her that he'd only knocked her pet unconscious. Remaining silent, she raised an arm to brace against the back of the cage, resting her forehead against it as she closed her eyes and allowed her tears to fall, the sounds of the door being closed and locked behind her coming to her ears.

'_Lacuna... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..._'

* * *

Kil'ruk stood staring at the cage even after the guard had left. He was able to make out the silhouette of the tiny creature he was now charged with watching over, and he_ hated _her for such an unwanted task being heaped upon his shoulders.

He held back a sigh as he stared at his bandaged arm, remembering his part of the agreement he had with her. Even though night was falling, now was a good a time as any to get the task over with. The Wakener would cooperate more willingly if she had her damn quilen with her; plus, he knew that without the stone beast by her side, she would be weak like any other self-proclaimed 'beast master' when forced to be on their own: a _coward_.

Terrace of Gurthan - Evening

It had awakened and was huddled against one of the crumbling walls when he'd returned to where he'd left it, and at once, the creature bared its teeth in his direction, a snarl leaving it as it regarded him warily.

"You brought it upon yourself, quilen," he snapped, feeling himself beginning to lose what little patience he had. "Your master lives, and she is safe... for the time being."

He flexed his mandibles a few times when the stone creature rose to stand, ruby eyes never leaving him as it advanced towards him a few steps, its posture a wary one, though he did notice that its ears were pricked.

"If you wish to see her again," he continued, feeling _very_ foolish about talking to an animal - let alone an animated one carved from stone! "Then you _will_ listen to me. Otherwise, I will leave you here for the spiders and the spirits of your creators."

The blue and copper quilen sneezed and shook its maned head, and he was unsure of what such an action meant, even as the creature closed the distance between them, its tail giving a few wags as it sniffed at him, but the gesture had not been a friendly one. He could sense its anxiety, knowing that the beast was hesitant to allow him to touch it after he'd knocked it out earlier, and he wasn't too pleased about the thought of bringing it back to Klaxxi'vess, either. Still, if he didn't, he would _never_ hear the end of it.

A barely audible growl reverberated throughout its stocky form when Kil'ruk moved to place a hand upon its back, and he felt it tense as he checked it over for injuries, knowing that the outsider would blame_ him _if _any_ part of the beast had sustained even a chip to its stony hide.

Carrying it was certainly out of the question, the quilen was a large animal, and it had taken the help of his sonic abilities as well as all of his strength to dislodge it when it had attacked him earlier. The quilen nipped at his hand when he pulled it away, and Kil'ruk barely kept himself from backhanding the creature upside the head.

"The feeling is mutual, beast. Follow," he snapped, turning and beginning to walk away, the quilen's heavy footsteps telling him that it was listening. He _hated_ walking, but he had no idea how well the stone beast could see in dim light, and he knew he'd rather not chance losing it and wasting more time if he chose to fly back.

Klaxxi'vess - Night

Most of the inhabitants were asleep by the time they arrived, save for a few vess-guards who regarded the quilen warily, relaxing only when Kil'ruk told them why he had brought it back with him. Surprisingly, the stone creature remained silent even as it broke away from him and stopped to lay down in front of the cage that contained its master, and the Wind-Reaver was surprised that the beast had been trained so well. Perhaps... the Wakener was indeed different than the Gurthani mogu - the self-proclaimed 'quilen masters' - when it came to the treatment of the beasts.

Still, he knew that one could never be _too_ sure, and he'd rather _not_ have a chance of it causing a commotion that would rouse the Klaxxi'va, so he ordered two of the vess-guards to keep watch over the quilen, before he retired for the night.

* * *

Klaxxi'vess - The Following Morning

Shuurai was awakened by the sound of the cage door being opened, a guard ordering for her to get out. The sin'dorei shot him a glare, but complied, grumbling under her breath in Thalassian about how much she hated mornings and bugmen who'd decided to capture her.

A happy bark sounded from nearby, followed by an angry shout from the guard, and Shuurai had barely begun to look towards the sounds when she found herself knocked off her feet by a streak of blue, and pinned underneath a pair of large paws.

"Lacuna, you're all right," she murmured, throwing her arms around the stone creature's neck as she felt the quilen nuzzle her. "I'm sorry I had to leave you..."

"When you are done playing, outsider," a voice snapped, and Shuurai heard Lacuna growl as the stone creature backed off to allow her mistress to climb to her feet, and the sin'dorei was met with a glare of disapproval from the Wind-Reaver. "We are to depart immediately."

With that, he shoved her rifle towards her, and wordlessly, she moved to take it from him before a guard tossed her pack to the ground at her feet. She shot him a glare, hoping that the mantid didn't have the audacity to go poking around in there while she'd been caged. There was something precious to her in there, and since she had no time to check, she hoped, for his sake, that he hadn't broken it. The huntress moved to shoulder her pack, before finally turning to Kil'ruk and nodding.

Shuurai heard Lacuna suppress the urge to snarl when the big mantid moved to toss the blood elf onto his back before he leapt into the air. She called for Lacuna to follow them, trying to steal one last glance at her pet before she and Kil'ruk rose higher into the air, leaving Klaxxi'vess behind.

She fell silent as the Wind-Reaver began to explain what the Klaxxi'va expected her to do: He was taking her to an area known as 'The Clutches of Shek'zeer', and she had orders to destroy some of the mantid young, or 'swarmborn' as they were called in certain circumstances, and to slay the clutch-keepers for corrupting the young with sha energy.

* * *

The Wind-Reaver watched as another group of swarmborn fell to the combination of the outsider's weapon, and the jaws and claws of her quilen. All the while, he'd been studying her as she performed this test of her ability to survive against greater odds, and he hated to admit it, but she and her pet weren't doing too badly on their own.

From what he read of her actions, the Wakener wasn't afraid to kill, nor did she appear to take any particular enjoyment from doing so even though, with the way she reacted and commanded her pet, he saw that she'd tangled with his kind before and had some experience in fighting them. He could sense strong determination from both the outsider and the stone beast along with the purpose behind their actions, knowing that the outsider was fighting to win her freedom, and that her pet was fighting to keep its mistress safe from harm.

A pair of clutch-keepers were advancing on them, and Kil'ruk watched her look between them for a few seconds, before she ordered the stone beast to attack the one on the right as she took aim and shot the one on the left. The Wind-Reaver twitched his antennae in question at her action, but when he saw the second clutch-keeper stumbling about in a daze, he understood what she was doing: distract one, kill the other as quickly as possible.

She had just dispatched the right clutch-keeper when a pair of bladesworn came upon them, one giving vent to an angry shout before he and his comrade rushed forward to attack the outsider. Holding back a sigh, Kil'ruk dove, drawing his swords before he landed on top of one of the bladesworn and stabbed his left blade deeply into the other mantid, green lifeblood pouring out of the wound when he withdrew his weapon. Not missing a beat, the Wind-Reaver jumped away, landing and pivoting upon one foot before he thrust one of his weapons into the other bladesworn, just as he saw the quilen finish off the remaining clutch-keeper, making it the sixth one they had killed since he'd dropped them off there.

Remaining silent, the Paragon opened his wings and leapt back into the air, ignoring the annoyed look he was getting from the creature before she turned her attention to finishing off the now wounded bladesworn.

"**That's enough, Wakener,**" he broadcast into her mind once she had killed them both. "**It is time to go back.**"

She gave no answer when the big mantid landed beside her, moving to toss her onto his back and ignoring the throaty growl given by the quilen in protest of the way he was handling its master.

"Do not get used to this," Kil'ruk rasped as he leapt into the air, a feeling of revulsion washing over him when he felt the tiny creature grasp at his left arm as she sought to balance herself on his back.

"I won't, believe me," she hissed in reply, and the two fell quiet after that, the silence hanging over both of them on the way back to Klaxxi'vess.

* * *

Halfway there, Kil'ruk landed, and Shuurai gave a confused blink when the big mantid moved to set her down.

"I have not eaten since early morning," he said, answering her silent question. "I wish to hunt, so I suggest you do the same. We will _not_ provide you with nourishment."

"That's the most helpful sentence that's come from your mandibles since we met," Shuurai replied, silently admitting to herself that food _did_ sound appealing right now. "And I never expected you to."

"... Be quiet and hunt, Wakener," he snapped, the irritation within his raspy voice forcing her to fight back the smirk dying to worm its way across her lips. "You'll be no use to us if you perish from starvation."

With that, the Paragon opened his wings and leapt into the air, leaving Shuurai and her pet alone for the time being. Lacuna nosed her mistress's hand and gave a chuff of questioning before looking back towards where they'd last seen the insectoid.

"He had it coming," the sin'dorei replied, reaching over to give her quilen a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go kill something while we have time. I know you don't need to eat, but I do, and there's no telling when another opportunity like this will arise."

The two began to move off, both oblivious to the large, pale shape slinking after them while remaining confined to the shadows of the nearby trees.

Game was plentiful within this area of the Dread Wastes, with a few herds of large deer and great mushan grazing; however, many of the deer appeared to be panicking. The hooved creatures were known for being rather jumpy, but the behavior of the constantly fleeing herds made the sin'dorei suspect the influence of sha.

Between them, Shuurai and Lacuna were able to bring down a young mushan, and after the elf had cut away a sizeable portion of the meat, she set to gathering wood to start a small fire, taking great care in making sure that it produced as little smoke as possible, as giving herself away in such a dangerous place was a sure death sentence.

Not sharing her mistress's need for food, the stone-made quilen sat nearby, a still and silent sentry as Shuurai wolfed down a few strips of meat, having set the rest of the meat beside the fire to cure and smoke well enough to be good for a short while longer, unsure of when she would be allowed to eat again.

Evening was beginning to set in when the Wind-Reaver returned, a low growl from Lacuna alerting Shuurai to the big mantid's presence.

"Quiet, beast," Kil'ruk hissed, and Shuurai paid him no heed until she had finished putting out the fire. "I see you have managed to stay alive. Not many outsiders last for long out here beyond the safety of that wall."

"I'm at home out in the wilderness," the sin'dorei replied with a shrug of her shoulders, not looking at him as she finished wrapping the meat and stowing it in her pack. "It's civilization I could care less about."

A derisive snort was the Paragon's only reply, which Shuurai ignored, figuring that the insectoid had lived in civilization before his encasement. Her thoughts were shattered by him closing the distance between them and moving to toss her onto his back, before he opened his wings and leapt into the air.

"You do not have a choice in the matter," he said finally, and the elf gave another shrug. "It grows late, we are returning."

* * *

From its hiding place, the pale beast drew its lips back in a silent snarl when the damn mantid took its prey away. The creature was a patient hunter, though, which was why it had survived for so long in this dangerous land while others of its kind fell by the wayside.

Pausing to glance about, the beast set off in the direction in which that mantid had flown, knowing that its prey would come to it eventually. When it did, the pale creature would be ready.

* * *

Klaxxi'vess - Evening

As with the previous night, Kil'ruk confiscated the outsider's weapon while two vess-guards kept an eye on her quilen, a third vess-guard once again seizing her belongings before she was ordered inside the same cage she had been confined to once before.

The mantid warrior remained silent, casting one last glance at the cage and ignoring the stone beast when it growled at him, before he turned his attention to the windwool bandage still wrapped around his arm. The cloth still carried faint traces of her scent, causing the Paragon to narrow his eyes in disgust as he began to remove it. The healing salve the creature had used in place of amber had worked surprisingly well, though there were scars from where her pet had bitten him yesterday.

Mandibles flexing a few times, Kil'ruk gave a soft snort and moved to toss the bandage into one of the nearby braziers, his expression never changing behind his mask as he watched the cloth blacken and burn before it was reduced to nothing.


	3. A Paragon's Offer

_**Author's Note:**__ Eight reviews? Thank you, guys, really! Starting with this chapter, I'll be making references to "Death From Above" the official short story about Kil'ruk that's up on the WoW official site. Go read it, people, it's awesome! When I wrote the first two chapters, I had no idea that short story existed, which is why they contain no references._

_Also, even though there isn't much to his personality in the game, I've always seen Malik as the wise mentor type with a stern edge, and that's how he ended up becoming written here. And just for a head's up, the next chapter is going to be a while because I'm currently participating in a month long writing contest in my guild, so that has top priority at the moment, please bear with me._

_As always, (World of) Warcraft is © to Blizzard Entertainment while Shuurai Falconcrest belongs to me. Special thanks go out to my best friend, Ayaluki, the best beta-reader I could ever ask for._

_Chapter 3:_

_A Paragon's Offer_

* * *

_"The mantid are harsh teachers."_ - Lorewalker Cho

* * *

The next morning began the same way the previous one had, with Shuurai being awakened by the door to her cage opening; however, she was greeted by the sight of what was perhaps one of the smallest mantids she'd ever seen.

"So, the filthy creature awakens," he rasped, golden eyes narrowing at her in disgust. "I was told that you survived the Clutches of Shek'zeer."

"So, what of it? I've been to far more dangerous places in my lifetime," the sin'dorei growled, before being cut off by a sudden yawn. "Is there a reason why you decided to come calling when I'm still half-asleep?"

"There is," the little mantid purred, a condenscending tone in his voice. "You work for me now, outsider. Step out of that cage, and I shall give you your orders."

A grunt was all she gave in reply this time as she rose to her feet, pausing to stretch as she worked on limbering herself up before she stepped out of the cage. Sleeping in armor was something she hated doing, but given her current situation, she didn't really have a choice in the matter.

She heard Lacuna give a few suppressed barks, immediately followed by the voice of a nearby mantid telling her to be quiet.

"You see these?" the little mantid asked, that tone never leaving his voice as he gestured to a few half-empty weapon racks. "Do you know what they are?"

"Weapon racks, and that must make you the local smith."

"Good, outsider, you're smarter than you appear to be," he hissed, turning and moving off a few paces before he faced her again. "Shek'zeer's 'bladesworn' carry the finest amber-made weapons in all the empire, and I want them on my weapon racks. Get them for me - as many as you can carry."

"Your wish is my command," Shuurai sneered, lowering her upper half in an exaggerated bow. "At least the smiths I knew back home could get what they needed themselves."

"Go!" the little mantid spat, eyes narrowed to slits as he glowered at her, before he turned and stomped off towards what appeared to be a mantid version of a forge, Shuurai watching him with a self-satisfied smirk.

"It would be within your best interest to hold your tongue while here in Klaxxi'vess, Wakener," a voice rasped close to one of her ears suddenly, causing the sin'dorei to go ridgid for a few moments in surprise. "You may be useful, but you are still upon dangerous ground. Remember that."

After getting over her initial shock, she recognized the lower-pitched rasp as Kil'ruk's, and wordlessly, she turned to face him, a brow arched in attempt to salvage what was left of her dignity, though a part of her couldn't help but wonder just _how_ a big mantid like him could be so stealthy.

"Kor'ik wishes to speak with you," the Paragon said, pointing over towards the giant resonating beacon, where a few of the Klaxxi'va had already gathered, talking amongst themselves as they waited for the rest of their number to wake. The sin'dorei looked at where the Wind-Reaver was pointing, to see a tiny mantid around the ambersmith's size standing quite close to the tall structure.

* * *

Kil'ruk gave the outsider an impatient shove, ignoring both the glare she gave him over her shoulder and the snarl from her quilen as the stone creature moved to its place by her side. He watched them make their way towards where Kor'ik was waiting for them, and telling by the gestures between them that they were in conversation. He saw Kor'ik hand something to the little creature before he turned his back on her.

The Wind-Reaver nodded to a nearby vess-guard, who went to retrieve the Wakener's belongings while Kil'ruk himself retrieved her weapon from where he kept it hidden. He returned to find her waiting for him, her belongings slung over her shoulder, and wordlessly, he handed her weapon to her as he listened to her explain what the ambersmith and Kor'ik wanted her to do.

'_Back to the Clutches?_' Kil'ruk held back an annoyed sigh, his mandibles flexing a few times in unvoiced irritation. It would have been so much easier to get every damn thing done the last time they were there, so this extra trip wouldn't be needed. Sure, the problem with the sonic relay could've turned up over the night, but Zikk could have told them to fetch weapons for him yesterday! Grumbling a few choice obscenities about the ambersmith under his breath, Kil'ruk moved to toss the Wakener onto his back, before he spread his wings, the outsider calling for her quilen to follow them as they rose into the air and left Klaxxi'vess.

* * *

Shuurai slowly approached the inert relay, moving to unshoulder her pack when she was close enough. She pulled out the stone Kor'ik had given her to use, the little rat having told her that she needed it to activate the relay. Well, _that_ was blatantly obvious.

On the edge of her vision, she caught a glimpse of Kil'ruk landing nearby, the big mantid adjusting the bundle of amber-made swords he was carrying. The swords hadn't given Shuurai much trouble until she'd aquired the sixth one, before the combined weight of the weapons had begun to work against her. Annoyed, Kil'ruk had told her to let him carry the swords instead, "so she could work faster, and so they could finally be done with this wretched place". His choice of words made her smirk in spite of herself; he could be so amusing when he was irritable!

Right now, however, this stupid relay was beginning to get on her nerves. Brow furrowing, the sin'dorei glanced at the relay, then down at the resonating crystal she held in her right hand and back again, not paying attention when she felt Lacuna nudge her leg.

"Your quilen is becoming as impatient as I am. You place the resonating crystal into a specific chamber upon the relay's base, Wakener," Kil'ruk snapped irritibly. "That turns it on."

"Well, excuse me for not knowing what to do! I'm not a mantid, remember?" Shuurai grit her teeth, looking over the relay again before she caught sight of a depression that had managed to evade detection on her first few passovers. Giving a soft 'pfft' of annoyance, the elf moved to place the crystal into the socket, a low hum soon sounding out over the area as the sonic relay came to life.

"That only took forever," Kil'ruk snapped again. "Now let's..."

The Paragon's voice faded when Shuurai suddenly heard another mantid inside her mind, and from the higher-pitched rasp, she immediately identified it as Kor'ik.

"**The crystal sings to the Klaxxi. They sense a Paragon in the clutch, east of the tower. Clutch-keepers are trying to pollute this one. The Klaxxi will not permit this. Go and find the Paragon. Place your hands on his chamber, and the Klaxxi will channel their whispers through you to break him free. Protect him... if you can.**"

Like with what had happened a day ago with the late Klaxxi'va Tik, as Kor'ik spoke, an image appeared within Shuurai's mind's eye. The area was bleak, everything completely warped and twisted by the sha presence to the point where it was escaping from a few points in the ground as wispy columns of smoke. In the middle of it stood a giant hunk of amber, similar to the one that had housed Kil'ruk before Shuurai had freed him. There was what looked like some kind of twisted metal fence around the site, telling her that it was some sort of enclosure. She kept this key feature at the forefront of her mind, grateful for such a physical landmark to help her find the right location.

The blood elf came out of her trance to see Lacuna standing with her side pressed against Shuurai in a protective stance and Kil'ruk glaring at the both of them. Though the Paragon hadn't drawn his weapons, she knew that her quilen was making sure that nothing would harm her master.

"Well?"

"Kor'ik spoke to me through the relay," she explained. "So I had to listen. There's another Paragon nearby, to the east of here."

"Lead," he commanded, giving her an odd look before he opened his wings and took flight.

* * *

Kil'ruk remained silent, landing nearby as he watched the tiny outsider approach the ancient amber, where one of his fellow Paragons was currently encased. The Wakener and her pet had managed to clear out the clutch-keepers and swarmborn on their own, as the Wind-Reaver had chosen to hang back so no harm would come to the bundle of swords he was still carrying. The damn things were starting to bother him, and he moved to set them on the ground before he moved to stretch a bit, never taking his eyes off the little humanoid as she reached out to touch the amber.

The quilen stood with its back towards its master, and while it would remain still, there were occasions where the stone beast would swivel its head in both directions, ears pricked, as it kept a lookout for signs of danger.

He saw the Wakener bow her head, and his antennae perked when he picked up the whispers from the Klaxxi'va, though this time, they were faint, and it took him a moment to realize why: because they were using the Wakener as a living conduit to communicate with the Paragon encased within this amber. It didn't take long before the amber cracked and shattered, and he saw the outsider stumble backwards a few steps and shake her head to reorient herself, her quilen quickly moving to offer support by leaning against one of her legs, its ruby gaze focused upon the Paragon who stood doubled-over in the middle of the amber fragments.

Like Kil'ruk himself, this Paragon was a tall mantid. His carapace was the same shade of rich yellow, darkening to amber upon his lower forelegs and upon the lower portion of his legs. The difference was that this Paragon was clad within armor of black and amber - denoting the wearer as one of high importance - and the realization of just _who_ he was now looking at suddenly struck him like a bolt of lightning from a storm.

'_I have heard impossible tales about this one: that _none_ have _ever_ been able to lay claw nor blade upon him,_' Kil'ruk thought as his eyes widened behind the eyeshields of his mask. '_Malik the Unscathed!_'

The other mantid remained doubled-over for a few long moments, before he finally began to show signs of stirring.

'_So,_' the Wind-Reaver thought as he watched his fellow mantid move to rise to his full height, before Malik suddenly doubled over and vomited. '_Such a reaction must be normal for Paragons who are Awakened from their slumber._'

The outsider had been silent this entire time, her attention never leaving Malik, until the quilen at her side suddenly began growling, its attention behind them, before it gave vent to a snarly roar, the noise rousing Kil'ruk from his thoughts.

"There! The Paragon! Don't let him escape!"

"Brace yourself, Wakener," Kil'ruk warned, even though she'd already drawn her gun and had turned to face the owner of the hostile voice. "Defend him, or your life is forfeit."

A bladesworn and a small group of swarmborn were rushing towards their position. Wasting no time, Kil'ruk moved to grab the bundle of weapons before he was once again airborne, moving to deposit them somewhere safe. Should the outsider need his assistance, he knew that he wouldn't be able to utilize his unique fighting style while weighed down by the amber-made swords.

When he returned, he wasted no time in diving into the fray, slicing down the few remaining swarmborn before he once again rose into the air and went to touch down beside Malik.

"I am returned," the other Paragon rasped, slowly rising to his full height. "I heed the call of the Klaxxi."

A deathcry came to them from the bladesworn as it crumpled to the ground, struggling for a moment to rise before it grew still. Kil'ruk watched the stone beast lope back to its master's side, before the little outsider moved to pick something up off the ground. The Wind-Reaver's eyes narrowed behind the eyeshields of his mask as he studied what the Wakener was holding. It was a fair-sized hunk of solid amber, but the color - or lack thereof, rather - was _completely_ wrong.

"**And you, Paragon.**" Kil'ruk turned his attention to Malik when he heard the older mantid speak into his mind. "**I do not recognize you. Tell me who you are.**"

"**I am Kil'ruk the "Wind-Reaver",**" he replied, concentrating on sending clear thoughts to his fellow Paragon. "**None can ride the winds as I do. I learned to dive sharply - in ways which would kill or injure most others - from observing and mimicking the actions of a hawk.**" He paused for a few seconds, before he sent another thought."**I know who you are, Malik the Unscathed, so no introductions are needed.**"

The other mantid nodded in understanding, and Kil'ruk went to retrieve the bundle of swords he'd hidden, only to return to see a large, pale shape suddenly rush out of the shadows towards the outsider.

* * *

From a safe distance nearby, the pale beast crouched, watching the battle unfold, unblinking eyes focused intently upon nothing but the little creature in red and black. She had stalked her prey and that big mantid all the way here to the part of the land that bled the most black and white, and she knew that once the hostile mantids were dealt with, she would strike swiftly and claim what she had been hunting.

When the last hostile insectoid fell, the creature silently began to creep forward, keeping her movements slow and allowing her pale form to blend in with the colorless land around her. When the little creature moved away from the two large mantids, the beast still waited. When the armed mantid left, leaving the unarmed one behind, that was when the beast chose to rush forward and attack.

* * *

Shuurai was only able to react in time when Lacuna suddenly roared and sprang forward, the quilen rising upon her hind legs in order to intercept a pale shape that had pounced towards her mistress. The smaller quilen was knocked onto her back, with her opponent pinning her down; however, it backed off when the stone beast bit one of its forelegs.

Lacuna wasted no time in scrambling to her feet and putting herself between her master and the pale beast, ruby eyes flashing bloodfire as she and the creature glowered at one another, neither making any other move to attack the other.

Shuurai leapt backwards, putting as much distance between herself and whatever had tried to attack her before she took a moment to study it, identifying the beast as what was perhaps the biggest tiger she'd ever seen in her life.

Its coat was a pale bluish-gray in hue, with a pair of vibrant blue eyes, the color scheme reminding Shuurai of the tigers she'd seen back in Kun-Lai Summit, though those had been smaller in size than this one. It was a beautiful animal, one she didn't wish to kill even though it had attacked her, and it was then that Shuurai made her choice.

The elf gave a hand signal, silently telling Lacuna to back off when her pet looked back over her shoulder to check on her. The blue and copper quilen looked at her as if she were crazy, but the stone creature did as she was told. Shuurai gave a sharp whistle in order to draw the tiger's attention away from her pet, and when it whipped its head to stare in her direction, the tiny woman made direct eye contact with the great cat as she slowly moved to sling her rifle across her back.

* * *

'_What does she think she's _doing_?!_' Kil'ruk thought, clicking his mandibles in a mix of confusion and irritation at the outsider's current course of action. '_The little idiot!_'

Growling, the big mantid moved to set the bundle of weapons on the sha-tainted ground, before he drew his own swords in preparation to aid the Wakener in spite of how foolishly she was acting at the moment. A touch on his arm stopped him, however, and Kil'ruk turned to see the Unscathed shake his head at him.

"Do not interfere," he said, keeping his hand upon the Wind-Reaver's arm as he spoke. "I have a feeling that the Wakener has this situation under control."

"What makes you believe that?" Kil'ruk snapped angrily. "If she perishes, do you know how long it will take for us to find another Wakener?! Our numbers are few!"

"Because," came the older insectoid's reply, Malik's attention leaving Kil'ruk to focus upon the outsider, who nimbly dodged a swipe from the feline, the established eye contact between the two never breaking, "I sense no fear within her, which I find to be rather... intriguing."

"Both of you are mad," the Wind-Reaver growled before he advanced a few steps, only for the little creature to hold a hand up towards him in silent order for him to stop.

"Don't bother me," she said, her gaze never leaving the tiger as it swiped at her again, but the Wakener quickly ducked the attack. "I know what I'm doing."

The tone of her voice made Kil'ruk want to throttle her, but the mantid backed down and sheathed his blades when he heard the quilen growl at him, the maned creature's ruby gaze boring into his own. With the Wakener currently armed and in that stone beast's company, he knew that it would be a tough battle if he were to engage her, and he would rather _not_ risk being on the receiving end of that weapon when it was fired.

It was then that the tiger suddenly relaxed, regarding the Wakener for a moment before it padded to her side, the quilen joining them shortly after. From behind him, he heard Malik give voice to a rasping chuckle, and Kil'ruk flexed his mandibles a few times, feeling his anger spike at the fact that the vocalization had been the older mantid's way of saying 'I told you so.'

"For such an act of stupidity, you will be walking back," he sneered, glaring at the Wakener before he pushed the bundle of swords towards her with his foot. "While carrying these, since Zikk asked _you_ to gather them for him in the first place. I'm certain your two beasts will protect you."

And with that, Kil'ruk rose into the air, leaving the little group behind.

* * *

"What's his problem?" Shuurai wondered out loud, glaring after the rapidly shrinking form of Kil'ruk as she watched him fly away.

"He knows nothing of those who share such deep bonds with the creatures of this world," Malik said as he stretched, working on limbering himself up. "He is frustrated because he does not understand. It is no fault of yours, Wakener." He paused, thinking for a moment before he spoke again. "I would carry you myself, but my energy is nearly depleted, and I must feed soon."

Shuurai held back a sigh of frustration as she watched Malik rise into the sky, and in no time, the newly freed Paragon was winging his way back to Klaxxi'vess.

"Yeah, sure you would have," Shuurai muttered, glaring after him before she cast a frustrated glance down at the bundle of swords. Movement flickered at the edge of her vision, and Shuurai turned to see the tiger move in front of her. The big cat voiced a soft chuff as it moved to lay down, bright eyes watching her expectantly, as if to say, 'Climb on. I respect you now, so, I'll carry you.'

She heard Lacuna voice a sneeze of disbelief before the quilen shook her head.

"You're being silly, Lacuna," Shuurai mused as she moved to set the bundle of swords across the feline's back before she climbed up herself. "I'll be ready if this tiger tries anything."

Once she was settled, the striped cat rose to its feet before it began to move off, starting at a slow, even walk before eventually easing into a steady run, the heavy footsteps nearby telling Shuurai that Lacuna was keeping pace with them.

Riding on the back of a giant cat was different than riding a horse, alive or reanimated. The sin'dorei steadied the bundle of weapons with one hand, while holding on to a clump of the spiky fur that ran along the tiger's back with the other.

It was then that she was hit with the notion of training the huge cat to act as a mount, since Shuurai's deathcharger had been unable to accompany her here, and she knew that Kil'ruk would not carry her everywhere - especially not with him angry with her as he currently was.

If she lived long enough to earn even a sliver of the Klaxxi's trust to where she would be allowed time to herself, she would go through with this idea, and as the amber-topped buildings of Klaxxi'vess soon came into view, Shuurai wondered if they'd dismissed her for dead.

"Slow down, walk," she said, reaching down to pat the tiger for emphasis as they neared the front archway of the cluster of buildings. "If you burst in, the guards will attack."

The huntress smiled when the tiger obeyed her command, and she gave the large cat a few more gentle pats as she murmured a praise softly in Thalassian. If the Klaxxi _had_ been so quick to give her up for dead, then Shuurai knew that she would garner satisfaction from their reactions to seeing her again.

'_Especially from _you_, Wind-Reaver,_' she thought as the vess-guards stationed at the archway reluctantly allowed her and Lacuna to pass into the courtyard, and the blood elf sat straight and proud upon the back of her tiger, a self-satisfied smirk forming as she saw the insectoids stop to stare at her.

No, these mantids wouldn't get her down. Not anymore.

* * *

The Klaxxi'va were chattering amongst themselves, but Kil'ruk didn't catch anything they were saying. His thoughts, to his very annoyance, kept drifting back to the outsider against his will, and this bothered him even as he remembered something told to him from long ago. A Paragon he'd worked with when he was very young, Ninil'ko the Bloodcaller, had mentioned something about a bond between a Paragon and his Wakener being similar to that of a bond between an Empress and her Swarmborn. The very idea of him having _any_ sort of bond with that little creature made him shudder in absolute disgust.

'_Hopefully she learned her lesson by serving as that tiger's meal,_' he thought angrily, only to be snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that everyone was staring in one particular direction - even the Klaxxi'va themselves.

"Where did she get a tiger?" he heard Kor'ik hiss under his breath, and the Wind-Reaver turned to see the little mantid standing there staring with his mouthparts hanging open.

"Dumb luck," Kil'ruk muttered, eyes narrowing as they focused upon the Wakener, who sat upon the tiger's back in a way that made him wish he could snap her in half. How _dare_ she come prancing back as if she were more important than ten Paragons - as if she were important _at_ _all_?!

"Wakener," Klaxxi'va Vor was speaking again as the little creature and her beasts stopped a few paces from where Kil'ruk was standing, the large feline coming to a halt before the outsider slid down from its back. "You have returned."

"And in one piece," Klaxxi'va Set sneered. "A shame. I was grateful for the brief reprieve from your presence."

The big tiger chose that moment to yawn, its maw opening wide as it stretched. Out of the corner of his eye, the Wind-Reaver saw Kor'ik shrink back from the cat, the cowardly action making him click his mandibles together a few times in derision.

"I don't die easily, sorry," the outsider replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "The deeds are finished, as per... request."

"This Wakener's talents are not unlike those of mantid who raise kunchong," came a new voice, and Kil'ruk turned to see Malik striding towards them, coming to stand beside his fellow Paragon. "I believe she is useful."

"_That_ remains to be seen," Set sneered again.

"Malik the Unscathed," Vor said, ignoring his fellow Elder's words. "Never a glancing blow lain upon you, but countless foes cut down by your halberd."

"And countless more to come, Klaxxi'va," Malik replied, kowtowing as he spoke. "It is my honor to serve in our time of need."

"And serve you shall," Vor continued. "Arm yourself at the quartermaster. Our drones are at your disposal."

"Right away, Klaxxi'va. This soft one should serve well. Come, Wakener."

* * *

Shuurai set her jaw when Malik beckoned for her to follow him as he walked towards where the ambersmith kept his weapons, and she saw that Zikk had finished setting the swords she'd brought to him onto the racks. She gave a command to her tiger, and the big feline rose to its feet and shook before it turned and slunk towards the archway.

None of the vess-guards made a move to restrain it, and, satisfied, Shuurai turned to follow Malik towards the weapon racks.

"You fight well," the Paragon said. "But you have one glaring weakness..."

He nodded at Zikk, who plucked a small spear from one of the weapon racks and handed it to the Unscathed. The mantid studied it for a moment, and Shuurai blinked when he turned and held it out for her to take, which she did after a moment of hesitation.

"A tiny weapon for a tiny creature," Zikk rasped, a note of laughter in his voice. Shuurai narrowed her eyes at him for a few seconds, only to step back when Malik hefted a rather large polearm from another weapon rack.

Though she'd had some martial training when it came to melee weapons when she had trained back in Quel'Thalas, over the last few years the blood elf had allowed herself to stop using them, having felt that all she needed was a bow, crossbow, or firearm. There was an inkling of familiarity as she held the spear, though, and she adjusted her grip until she found a hold that felt the most comfortable to her.

"And weaknesses," Malik rasped again, causing the Wakener to look up at him, "can and _will_ be exploited."

There was no warning, for as soon as Malik had finished speaking, he suddenly struck out, aiming to cleave her in half down the middle. Shuurai barely managed to bring her own weapon up to parry the overhead blow, a grunt leaving her as Malik's strength forced her to her knees.

She grit her teeth when she heard Zikk laugh at her, and not even a moment later, a snarly roar sounded from her left, and out of the corner of her vision, Shuurai saw her quilen preparing to spring at the Unscathed.

"Lacuna, back off!" the sin'dorei commanded sharply, not daring to turn her head to look at her pet, since such a foolish action would grant her opponent an opening. "You're not allowed!"

She heard Lacuna voice a brusque growl of annoyance, but the dull shifting of stone told her that the blue and copper beast had listened to her. Droplets of sweat were beginning to bead upon her forehead underneath her metal circlet, and she felt her arm muscles beginning to strain.

Suddenly, she felt Malik ease up, and the Paragon pulled his weapon away. He made no move to strike as she rose to her feet, and he regarded her silently for a moment before he shifted his stance a bit.

"Try to achieve the impossible, Wakener," he rasped, crooking the fingers of his free hand at her in a 'bring it' gesture. "Hit me."

Wordlessly, Shuurai struck out with the spear, only for the Paragon to easily sidestep the strike. She wasted no time in striking out again a few times in quick succession, only for Malik to dodge them all before he countered, sending the sin'dorei's polearm clattering to the stonework. She was then met with the tip of his halberd merely inches from her throat, and she froze.

"**Enough!**" A new voice sounded in her mind, causing Shuurai to flinch at the suddenness of it, and seeing the Unscathed immediately pull his polearm back before he relaxed, she knew that he'd also received the telepathic command.

The blood elf turned towards the source of the voice, to see the largest of the Klaxxi Elders step forward, his golden gaze focused intently upon the pair.

"That is enough. Both of you."

"Yes, Klaxxi'va," Malik said, bowing his head in submission.

Shuurai gave Malik a hard look before she turned and began to walk away, only for him to grasp her by the arm. She remained silent as she turned her head to look at him, a long brow arched in question as she waited.

"My intention was not to humiliate you, Wakener. And I held back at the beginning. Had I used all of my strength, you would have crumpled to the ground like a kypari sapling, rather than merely falling to your knees."

"She did a good job of _that_ on her own!" Zikk pipped up before he scampered off towards the forge, cackling even as Malik gave him a stern look.

"Then, what do you want?" she asked, a wary note to her voice.

"To train you. Currently, you are ungainly in how you use that spear, but I did notice that at one point, you used to use a weapon like this before it fell out of your favor." He reached down, picking up the spear before he held it out for her to take. "You have potential, even though the Klaxxi refuse to see this, but I _do_. I wish to take you as my student, to help you regain what you have allowed to slip away."

Shuurai accepted the offered weapon, and she opened her mouth to speak, only for the words to die upon her tongue when Malik held his hand up in a gesture for her to be quiet.

"Dwell upon these words, Wakener. Do _not_ give a hasty answer. In seven days' time, I shall speak to you again, and only then will I expect your choice to my offer."

* * *

Kil'ruk stood watching in silence as the brief fight had taken place. So, Malik had wanted to test her, and what had astonished Kil'ruk was the fact that the outsider had told her pet to remain out of the bout. Perhaps... perhaps she was different than that coward Gurthan after all.

He remained silent as he approached her from behind once she and the Unscathed had finished their little exchange, before Kil'ruk moved to clamp a large hand down upon one of the outsider's shoulders, causing her to jerk in surprise before she turned her head to glare at him, and the Wind-Reaver couldn't help the feeling of amusement at her reaction.

"Weapons," he said as four vess-guards moved towards them, swords at the ready. He heard the quilen snarl, but it stayed put when the Wakener made a hand gesture in its direction. Wordlessly, the tiny creature handed him the spear and her gun.

"**Do not cage her tonight,**" Klaxxi'va Vor's voice sounded within his mind, and Kil'ruk knew better than to question his decision, even though the Paragon thought that he was being too quick in alleviating her sentence so soon. "**But keep a watch on her. She is useful to our cause, so we shall see how she fares under slightly more... bearable conditions... whilst keeping her in line.**"

"**Yes, Klaxxi'va.**"

"By the order of the Klaxxi'va, you will not be caged this time," he told her, not surprised by her giving him what appeared to be a look of confusion, her brow furrowing slightly. "However, you will still be guarded while you are here in Klaxxi'vess."

"Fair enough, I suppose," the outsider replied, shifting the strap of her belongings from one shoulder to the other before she glanced around. "So... where am I permitted to sleep?"

"Where we can see you," Kil'ruk replied, his golden gaze never leaving her. He saw her pet move to stand up and stretch before it shook itself and padded over to stand beside her, brushing past a vess-guard in the process.

"I'll need my things," she said, warily eying the two vess-guards standing on either side of her as her grip tightened upon the strap of the bundle she still held. Kil'ruk eyed her for a long moment, before he clicked his mandibles softly a few times.

"Very well."

He fell silent after that, watching as she looked around for a few moments, before she pointed at one of the smaller trees that framed the edge of the courtyard. He studied the tree, eyes narrowing a bit, before he nodded his approval, and the four vess-guards took their positions near her before the group moved off.

* * *

Shuurai sighed softly as she moved to set her pack down against the trunk of the tree, before she crouched and dug through it, removing one of the few changes of clothing she always kept with her. She glanced back over her shoulder at the guards before she rose to her feet and began to move behind the tree, only for one of the mantids to tell her to halt.

"You are ordered to stay within sight, outsider," he snapped, raising his blade in warning.

"I need to change out of my armor," she replied irritably, looking back over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. "And I am _not_ changing in front of a group of men."

The vess-guard gave a confused blink before he looked over at his fellows, two of which shrugged.

"... Very well, then, but be quick about it," he growled. "Outsiders and their strange customs."

"Thank you," Shuurai replied curtly, before she began to move around the tree again, only to stop after a few steps to look back at them. "And don't _any_ of you _dare_ to sneak a look."

"Why would we want to?" one of the other guards asked, confusion apparent within his voice.

"... Never mind," she said, shaking her head before she moved behind the tree, laying her clothing out before she began to remove her armor. She gave vent to a soft, grateful sigh at finally being able to sleep out of it after the past two days of having to endure that damned cage. The shift of stone came to her ears, but the sin'dorei didn't bat an eye, knowing that Lacuna had positioned herself between her master and the vess-guards.

Once dressed, Shuurai unbraided her hair before she simply tied it back in a loose ponytail, and she gathered her armor, wanting to have it close by in case she had to don it quickly. Three of the guards were chattering quietly amongst themselves when she came out from behind the tree, and the first gave her an annoyed look before he shook his head and turned his back to her, motioning for the other three to take up similar positions around where she was staying.

Lacuna brushed up against her left leg before the stone beast moved to lay down, and Shuurai reached down to pet her between the ears before she settled down, a sudden yawn escaping her as she leant back against her quilen's side and closed her eyes. Years of living in the wilderness had made her able to sleep anywhere without much complication, and Shuurai was asleep within minutes.


End file.
